Wadjkare was an

ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

ian

pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

of the Eighth dynasty who reigned c. 2150 BC during the

First Intermediate Period The First Intermediate Period, described as a 'dark period' in ancient Egyptian history, spanned approximately 125 years, c. 2181–2055 BC, after the end of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Kingdom. It comprises the seventh Dynasty, Seventh (altho ...

. He is considered to be a very obscure figure in Egyptian history.Thomas Schneider: ''Lexikon der Pharaonen''. Albatros, Düsseldorf 2002, , p. 170 - 171.

Identity

Wadjkare is mentioned only once: in a royal

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

tablet known as '' Coptos Decree R'' (Cairo museum; obj. ''JE 41894''), which is said to have been created by the king himself. It contains a list of punishments for everyone who dares to damage or plunder a shrine dedicated to the god Min-of-Coptos. However, from an archaeological standpoint there is nothing else known about this king. His existence is questioned by some scholars, because he is not mentioned in any Ramesside king list. A rock inscription in

Nubia Nubia (, Nobiin language, Nobiin: , ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the confluence of the Blue Nile, Blue and White Nile, White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), and the Cataracts of the Nile, first cataract ...

mentions a king that in the past was tentatively read as ''Wadjkare''. It is believed nowadays that the royal name on the inscription is ''Menkhkare'', the throne name of the

Eleventh Dynasty The Eleventh Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty XI; ) is a well-attested group of rulers. Its earlier members before Pharaoh Mentuhotep II are grouped with the four preceding dynasties to form the First Intermediate Period, whereas the lat ...

local ruler Segerseni. Scholars such as Farouk Gomaà and William C. Hayes identify the

Horus name The Horus name is the oldest known and used crest of ancient Egyptian rulers. It belongs to the " great five names" of an Egyptian pharaoh. However, modern Egyptologists and linguists are starting to prefer the more neutral term "serekh name". T ...

''Djemed-ib-taui'' with a ruler named Neferirkare and equate Wadjkare with an obscure ruler named ''Hor-Khabaw''. Hans Goedicke sees Wadjkare as the predecessor of ''Djemed-ib-taui'' and assigns both rulers to the

9th dynasty The Ninth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (Dynasty IX) is often combined with the 7th, 8th, 10th and early 11th Dynasties under the group title First Intermediate Period. The dynasty that seems to have supplanted the Eighth Dynasty is extremely obsc ...

.Hans Goedicke: ''Königliche Dokumente aus dem Alten Reich'' (= ''Ägyptologische Abhandlungen'', Bd. 14). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1967, p. 215.

References

22nd-century BC pharaohs Pharaohs of the Eighth Dynasty of Egypt {{Africa-royal-stub